South Africans join global call to address livestock export risks

Global animal welfare coalition presses marine insurers on live export vessel risk

The International Union of Marine Insurance has committed to engage with global welfare and protection organisations to address concerns relating to the live export of animals on an aging fleet that has been found to consistently be the worst performing vessel category by the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MoU).

This follows a call from a coalition of 38 animal welfare and protection organisations spanning countries in Europe and Latin America as well as Australia and South Africa on the marine insurance sector to review the risk profile of the global livestock carrier fleet.

Organisations, which include Stop Live Export South Africa, submitted a letter to the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) last month citing analysis from the newly released 2026 Global Livestock Fleet Report, an independent analysis by Robin des Bois, Animal Welfare Foundation and Tierschutzbund Zurich covering 159 vessels involved in maritime livestock transport worldwide.

Key findings in the report highlight key concerns including:

◼︎ The average converted livestock carrier is 45 years old, with 51 vessels aged 50 years or more.

◼︎ 84% of the fleet (134 of 159 vessels) was never purpose-built for livestock transport. • 47.3% of the fleet flies’ flags blacklisted by the Paris MoU.

◼︎ Livestock carriers have been the worst-performing vessel category recorded by the Paris MoU for at least six consecutive years, with a detention rate of 15.1% in 2024, almost four times the average across all inspected ship types.

◼︎ 54.7% of the fleet is owned by shell companies, most of them single-ship entities registered in tax havens, complicating liability recovery when vessels are lost or abandoned.

Lisa Baker, President of Stop Live Exports Australia, who signed the letter on behalf of the network, said the initiative was not a call on the ethics of live export. “This is a request to examine the documented maritime risk profile of this vessel category, and to consider whether current underwriting practices, industry due diligence standards and reputational exposure frameworks adequately reflect that risk,” Baker said.

Michelle Taberer, Founder and Chairperson of Stop Live Export SA, says, “This initiative forms part of a wider effort to encourage accountability across the live export supply chain. While insurers do not operate vessels or load animals onto ships, insurance remains an essential enabler of the trade. We will continue working with our international partners to scrutinise the systems and industries that support the export of live animals by sea.”

The letter asks IUMI and its member associations to commission an independent actuarial assessment of the livestock carrier fleet, develop industry-wide due diligence standards for underwriting livestock carrier risk, review whether current premium structures reflect the documented risk profile, and consider the reputational exposure to member underwriters of continued association with the sector.

The network has requested a meeting with IUMI representatives to discuss the report's findings. In a response, IUMI acknowledged the coalition's concerns and agreed that awareness of the risks associated with the live export trade, including its reputational implications, is important. IUMI confirmed that livestock transport is already included on its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Watch List and advised that the entry will be updated to reference the 2026 Global Livestock Fleet Report.

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